The Bride Price

by Suzanne Popp

A teenage girl, Myrna Chitundu, dreams of becoming a doctor someday. She dreams of leaving the dusty African town of Blancville behind her and really changing the world, but she knows it will take a lot of hard work. Her hard work pays off when she is admitted to the Royal Academy – the first girl to ever be admitted to the prestigious all boys’ school.

But everything changes when Myrna discovers she is pregnant. Suddenly her well-ordered life begins to unravel. When an offer of marriage from a wealthy older man is presented to her family, Myrna knows what she must do – the bride price is too great for her family to refuse. Setting her own hopes and dreams aside, Myrna accepts marriage to a man she has met only once, who will take her far from the only home she has ever known.

This sweeping novel of hope and redemption follows the life of three generations of Chitundus as they discover the powerful bond of family, faith, and love is not easily broken.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Africa, Drama, Fiction, Book Club, Contemporary

285 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2012

Reviews

[Susan Kasza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, but I struggled with the poor writing. Most of it was written in third person, but every once in a while a few pages would be in first person. It wasn't marked in any way (no italics or quotes), and was sometimes a challenge to determine who was speaking. The chronology was confusing as well. "Henrietta" was mentioned in several chapters before the paragraph describing who she was. I found the ending to be random as well; there wasn't closure to many of the story lines.

[Dee-Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I know is has some poor reviews, which I can understand, but as their main complaint was about the dsimplistic writing style, I actually enjoyed it and to me it corresponded well with the topic.

I started reading this book thinking it would be about the injustice of a young educated girl being sold into a marriage, whereas it was a story of 'life goes on' and it can be what you make of it, as well as how you deal with things which are thrown at you and beyond your control. The impact of AIDS/HIV on families and communities was devastating and it took the book from being a sweet tale to that of something to think about.

There were some time leaps which seemd to come out of nowhere and we lost track of some people (eg. the brother who became a taxi driver) and unexpectedly an apparition made her presence later in the book, but it added to the flow and colour of the book.

I loved the settings, the people and the things that mattered.

[Therese · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 actually. This book started off great then fell apart at about the halfway point. I was so disappointed because I was so engrossed in the first half of the story. When it fell apart, it fell apart big. The writing was unorganized (jumped around all over the place), repetitive and there were many grammatical errors throughout. What started out as such an interesting story became very dull and I kept wondering where the story was going. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book to others.

[Avis Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Africa

As I read this book, I felt I was on an historical and cultural journey. I enjoyed the long timeline and the many points of view that went into the telling of this tale, and I felt a connection to the strong women in this story, whose hardships were handled with grace and dignity.

[Sandra Kindell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

This was a story of love, hardship, endurance and triumph. The characters were vivid and real. I truly enjoyed the storytelling.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad, sweet, graceful. Quite lovely.

[Jennifer Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book club choice - interesting historical fiction.

[Yvonne Jardine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the read.

I enjoyed reading The Bride Price. It was one of those books I found hard to put down. When I did I was wondering what was happening.

[Chandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUTHOR: SUZANNE POPP, http://www.suzannepopp.net/ “The BRIDE PRICE” is the first novel written by this author. The storyline only takes place in Africa with a mention of Holland. However, put your fiction “romance” novel down. Take a break. Read something interesting and different. This book is truly a MUST READ! Keep your mind open to a genre change.

GENRE: Cultural fiction; Contemporary fiction; Realistic fiction; African cultural fiction

SETTING: Blancville, Africa; Copperfine, Africa

SYNOPSIS
This story is centered on (3) Generations with emphasis on 2nd generation Mryna Chitundu, the bride that came with a price. She is the only female in an all boy school. She becomes the salvation of her family’s woes and is forced to leave school and marry a man three times her age.

CENTRAL FEMALE CHARACTERS:
MYRNA: Intelligent; resourceful; can read and write
VIOLET: Myrna’s sister; not so interested in education; a great singer

CENTRAL MALE CHARACTERS:
FESTAL: Paid the price to have a wife, Myrna; Uneducated; Raises cattle
UNCLE DODGE: Makes money from putting together business deals of finding brides. He is not well liked.
STEPHEN: Myrna’s brother; will be able to marry the woman he wants as a result of the bride price

WHAT I LIKED: Has nothing to do with slavery in America. Protectiveness of a family (whoa, did not see that one coming). Resourcefulness brings a place of honor. A sister is found.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE: Stephen’s life seems incomplete. He is not written about beyond a description of his wife troubles.

I give this book (FIVE) stars because while fiction, it was/is a way of life. Very well written as the story touches the readers emotions in “every” way; anger to elation. I really hope everyone will give this book a try….I really do.

[Priscilla Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!

The Bride Price was an exceptional look into the cultures of Africa, the marriage process, the attitudinal change on education,the struggles families survived including droughts, HIV outbreaks and other illnesses as well as Myrna's ability to live her dream in spite of becoming a wife and mother at 14. The author was engaging, I wanted to keep reading about Myrna's story each time I turned my kindle on. I loved the ending and the significance of Festal's life evolving to perfection in his sight. I thought about the biblical phrase of "well done my good and faithful servant".

[Heidi Ennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story! Suzanne is a simple, yet eloquent writer, and you can feel her passion for the education of women and women's rights in African countries. The story is filled with courage and strength, of women supporting each other and caring for their families despite it all. Of a young women in particular, her dreams of an education dashed by an arranged marriage, who goes on to change her dreams and still be all that she could be as a mother, a wife, a friend and a fellow woman in a community of women. Love it and cannot wait to see what else Suzanne does.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was about African culture in Nigeria before and during the start of the AiDS epidemic. I learned a lot about Nigeria culture and grew an appreciation of Africa. It seemed like the book tried to go many different ways with themes of family, sacrifice, commitment, love, culture, and the effect of AIDS. There was so much different things going I felt like there was no point. Maybe that was the purpose. Certainly life is not about a specific theme. This was a book about the lives of this family and like life, there was a lot of different things going on.

[Podurham · Rating 3 out of 5]

An authentic look at three generations of a large African family. The book opens when a 13 year old girl is to become a wife to a man more than twice her age in exchange for some cows. The young girl, who at the time was at an all boys school and singled out for her intelligence, is married and taken to a remote outpost. This story captures the beauty of Africa as well as the hardships. Thumbs up.

[Elizabeth Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I grew up in Africa I was naturally drawn to this book. It was beautifully told, if structurally a little drawn out and repetitive. But the country was evoked perfectly and it was something of an exercise in nostalgia for me. The author clearly knows the country and its people and the story surprised me in many ways. It was not at all predictable and I couldn't second-guess where the author was going. Lovely read.

[kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

So sad. A young intelligent girl who dreams of being a doctor in a South African village. On her way with the schooling she needs and at 13 her parents sell her off to make the family secure. Such a sad book. Did enjoy seeing how the small villages worked in Africa and learned quite a bit, however, just a sad depressing book to me.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been an engaging and interesting read in the hands of a good storyteller. With its one dimensional characters and flat narrative it became very tedious. I found myself trying to hurry it along and ended up speed reading about the last third just to get it finished.

[Willi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had it ALL!!!Romance,tradegy,loss,elation,sorrow, triumph, etc.I could not put this book down.It was interwoven with different paths all twisting and turning and finally coming together.It held your attention and was just wonderful!

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting novel about four generations of an African family. Unfortunately, the book is not well structured and would benefit from a good editing. I also found it odd to reread the same story from a different perspective over and over again.

[Janis Knecht · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself is quite interesting and I learned quite a bit about the southern African culture. However, the book isn't well structured and there are a lot of grammatical errors. The story is difficult to follow. It felt like a lot of short stories pieced them together. It needs a good editor.

[Andrea Pifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was compelling and interesting enough that I was able to get past the poor writing, typos, and poor flow, and finish the book. I probably won't read the other two in the series, unless someone tells me they are way better. I felt like this book was in need of a good editor.

[Alison]

kindle 284 (africa)

[Kim Rosales · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read in a while. That's kind of book that you keep thinking about long after it ends.

[Diane Yomtov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book.

[Elizabeth Vietti miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just love this story. It is a simple, sweet tale. Did feel maybe the end was rush to much but still it's worth the read.

[Leslie Hutchings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay story of African matchmaking and life. Nothing was tied up, no conclusions. Writing childlike

[Denisef · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read half of the book. Liked the beginning but it became boring....couldn't finish it......

[Jo-Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with Susan.

[Erinmeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

read first half quickly, then went downhill, couldn't finish

[Alanna Bove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this before going to Africa. Good way to learn about village life.

[Shannon Moran · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story was interesting but I had to stop reading this because the writing was so bad!